This invention relates generally to a system for digitally transmitting and manipulating or synthesizing integrated data and, more particularly, to a system for accessing intelligence or information from microform, computer and hard copy data bases and digitally transmitting, synthesizing and displaying the same in either hard or soft copy form.
As a result of the diverse nature of the activities that generate intelligence or information, a multitude of information storage media or data bases exist. Thus, hard copy data banks or record files exist which contain graphic information or data in human readable form. Such data banks include file folios, graphics, drawings, books, etc. Secondly, a vast amount of information is stored in machine readable or digital form in the memory banks of computers. Although much of this information is of a transient nature, a large proportion thereof has lasting significance and is permanently maintained in magnetic memories on discs, tape, etc. Finally, a significant amount of information is contained in micrographic data banks, this information being analogous to that contained in the hard copy data banks but are maintained in a size-reduced format stored on film by microphotographic processes. Such data is generally human readable with the aid of micrographic readers. Of course, information also exists in other miscellaneous forms such as, for example, photographs, large charts, etc. However, these latter data bases represent only a relatively small percentage of the total amount of stored data and may be discounted for the purposes of the present invention.
It is often desired to obtain information contained in one or more of the above described data bases at a location geographically remote from the actual location of the physical data base. For example, to this end, facsimile transmission systems whereby human readable data contained on hard copy documents are converted into electrical signals for transmission over existing communication channels, such as voice grade switchable telephone lines, digital data networks, wide band cable T.V. channels radio and microwave channels, etc., for transformation back into human readable form at the receiving or accessing end are known.
However, the most economical form for information storage on a massive scale is in human readable micro-image form. Thus, source documents, such as business letters, scientific treatises, invoices, etc., are converted by micrography to microformed formats, such as microfiche, for economical storage. Additionally, it is common for computer compiled data of lasting significance to be printed on microfiche by COM (computer originated microfilm) machines. A need clearly exists for a system capable of accessing such diverse microfilm based information from locations geographically remote from the physical location of such data bases.
Further, as mentioned above, a considerable portion of active information is stored in digital machine readable form in the magnetic memories (core, MOS discs and tape) of ADP systems. Such memories are usually the essential management component of information systems. In the past such information has been extracted by the accessor addressing the information system computer by entering commands into a typewriter keyboard, which is usually associated with a video terminal. The request is usually made in a modified human language and the response from the computer is normally in human readable language appearing as alpha/numeric characters displayed on the screen of the video terminal. This display is constructed by the character generator in the video terminal in response to digital signal codes that the computer has selected and transmitted from the magnetic memories which are part of the computer system.
Thus, to be fully effective, an information management and distribution system should make available for access all information contained in the various data bases discussed above. Accordingly, information stored in hard copy form, in digital machine readable form and in micrographic form should be easily accessable. This is true regardless of where the various data bases are situated either at a common geographical location or are located at widely disparent locations throughout the world.
Moreover, an information management and distribution system, to be truly efficient from a practical standpoint, should also have the capability of rapidly transmitting information over existing communication channels without sacrificing legibility or content at the display terminal. In this connection, the limiting line in all communication systems is the band-width of the transmission channel. Thus, given the practical prerequisite of transforming and transmitting the document data in a computer compatible digital format, a method must be implemented to reduce the amount of digital electrical pulses to a minimum in order to facilitate both rapid and economic transmission of this data via available communication channels. For example, a voice grade dial-up telephone line (as avialable from the public telephone system) when activated via the appropriate tone generator (modem) can support, with present technologies, up to ninety six hundred digital pulses per second. However, a typical human readable document, such as, for example, a bill of lading when dissected into three million eight hundred thousand picture elements, each of which requires one electrical pulse for transmission, would require seven minutes for transmission over a voice mode telephone line. Such an extended transmission time renders this approach impractical and uneconomical in most applications. Thus, it is evident that means must be devised in order to reduce the amount of transmitted data per document page without sacrificing the content of the transmitted information.
Additionally, in various situations, such as where several analysts desire to access the information system from the same or different locations at the same time, without undue waiting periods, the transmitted electrical pulse-data which represents the converted human readable document must be suitable for being buffered or temporarily stored in computer compatible memories.
Further, it should be recognized that different information simultaneously desired at a particular time at a single location may be stored in a plurality of diverse data bases such as, for example, in micrographic form and in machine readable form in a magnetic memory device. Thus, a fully effective information management and distribution system must have the capability of synthesizing intelligence contained in diverse data bases for subsequent display in soft or hard copy form. In this connection, the system should, in addition to having the capability of displaying at the same time and on the same output terminal data stored in all active information storage segments of this system (including magnetic data, microform data and hard copy data) be capable of extracting, temporarily storing, recalling and displaying in intermixed fashion any portion of the accessed data.
In operation, any multisource media system should be designed so as to permit ease of expansion and modification. In addition, such systems should be flexible and permit total operator control over source and display format and location. Finally, system control features such as zoom capabilities and high resolution imaging are desirable.
It is therefore the prime object of the present invention to provide a multimedia source scanner and digitizer and an access and display or print-out terminal which can operate under the control of a computer for allowing an operator to access any source document and utilize same to print out or generate a new source document.
It is another object of the invention to establish a system using a microprocessor based sub-system framework facilitating ease of modification and expansion.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a controllable communication system based upon a graphic data base and allowing complete user flexibility as to source and print out.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a graphic based system allowing communication between both remote source and remote display terminals.
It is another object of the invention to provide a solid state imaging system which will permit desired manipulation of visual data.